


Gross Fluff

by ego_to_ego



Category: markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Caretaking, Fluff, Gen, Little bit of angst, Platonic Relationships, that's it just fluff, where dark goes there's always angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 13:04:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17663186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ego_to_ego/pseuds/ego_to_ego
Summary: Dr. Iplier and the Host aren't the most sociable people. But it's a lot easier for two lonely people to become friends.





	Gross Fluff

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Finally posting for the first time in over 5 months? It's more likely than you think. Anyway, this is another of these pairings that can be platonic or romantic depending on how you look at it. Have fun :)

“I’m sorry, I’ll try to be more gentle” 

The Host was sitting on a bed in Dr. Iplier’s clinic, his legs dangling off the edge as the doctor swabbed around his eye sockets with a damp cloth. He had just hissed in pain as the doctor rubbed at a particularly sensitive spot, causing the doc to quickly apologize and let off some of the pressure.

It had taken weeks upon weeks of gentle nudging from the doctor to get the Host in his clinic for a checkup. He just couldn’t stand the constantly sloppy state of his bandages, and he knew that the blind man wasn’t cleaning his wounds properly, if he was at all.  

He was eventually able to get the Host to come in every other week, then once a week, then  _ twice _ a week, and now he comes in daily every morning to replace his bandages and possibly chat a little.

“Alright, I’m done cleaning.” Dr. Iplier said, throwing away the bloodied cloth and picking up a fresh roll of bandages. “I’m going to start the bandaging now.” 

Dr. Iplier wound the gauze strip over the Host’s eyes three times before making sure it was secure in the back. 

“That’s not too tight, is it?”  
“The bandages are perfect,” the Host replied as he hopped off his perch. “The Host thanks Edward for his help.” 

“You don’t have to thank me every time.” Dr. Iplier shuffled his feet nervously. “It makes it feel...impersonal.” 

“The Host apologizes.” 

The doctor groaned. “That’s just as bad!”

Edward would ever admit it aloud, but the way the Host spoke annoyed him to death sometimes. His mumbled narrations never bothered him, in fact they were almost soothing in a way. But trying to hold an actual conversation was just frustrating.

Edward was so caught up in his own thoughts he didn’t realize that they weren’t staying inside of his head. The Host was narrating the doctor’s internal monologue quietly to himself, a guilty expression crossing his face for perhaps the first time in his life. He paused his narrations for a moment, swallowing down a lump in his throat.

“I’m sorry” the Host said, quiet enough that Edward almost missed it. He blinked in shock, looking at the Host as if he had grown a second head.

“You can talk?!” 

“You might want to get that head of yours checked because I’m pretty sure I always could,” The Host said louder this time, starting to smirk.

“No, but I mean you can talk norma-without like- you know…” The doctor stuttered, and the Host laughed. It was the first Dr. Iplier had ever seen him look  _ happy _ . 

“I can do a lot of things, Doctor.”

“Yeah, I mean of course, I didn’t say you  _ couldn’t  _ I just-” 

The Host placed his finger in front of the doctor’s lips, shushing him.

“As much as I’d like to continue this riveting conversation, I have to get back to work. I’m set to go live in half an hour and I’d like to get something to eat first.” The Host took a deep breath before continuing his thought. “How about you come visit me in the library this evening and we can talk some more?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Dr. Iplier responded simply, still rather awestruck.

“Great.” And the Host moved his way past the doctor, his trench coat swishing around around his feet as he let his narrations guide him towards the clinic door.

“I’m free after noon!” he shouted behind him before exiting, leaving Dr. Iplier rather stranded and unsure of what to do.

Once the Host was back at his desk within the solitary depths of the library, the confidence he had been so full of seeped from him like someone wringing a wet towel. He placed his head in his hands, careful not to mess up the neatly wrapped bandages.

“The Host realizes the stupidity of his actions and holds extreme regret” he groaned to himself.

* * *

 

The Doctor managed to slip out of the clinic around 2, locking the door behind him and hoping Wilford had the common sense not to shoot anyone for the rest of the day. He felt apprehensive knocking on the door to the library. He had never seen anyone enter the room except for Dark and the Host himself. He did it anyway, his sharp knock resonated through the aged oak wood of the door.

“The Doctor can enter” The Host called from within the room. The Doctor twisted the doorknob and entered, slowly. 

The library was dark. There were no windows, and no lights. The only illumination came from the far end of the room, behind the rows of shelves. The Doctor shuffled his way towards the light, trailing his fingers along the shelves as a guide. When he pulled his hand away, his fingertips were covered in dust.

The source of illumination was soon identified as coming from several monitors, flickering with static. The monitors rested on a desk where the Host sat, his back turned.

“Hello?” Dr. Iplier called. “Um, I don’t know if you know, but it’s really dark in here.”

The Host jumped, silently cursing his oversight.

“The library is illuminated enough that Edward can see his surroundings.” he said quickly, and the room filled with light. The doctor squinted, eyes taking a moment to adjust to the change in lighting. The Host had still not turned around. Dr. Iplier waited, allowing the Host to say the first word.

“The Host-Would you grab me that book from over there?” The Host said after a moment, pointing towards the corner of his desk. 

“Please?” he asked after a brief hesitation. Dr. Iplier leaned over, snatching a worn paperback with a red cover off of the corner of the Host’s desk.

“Read it to me,” the Host said, pushing back his microphone and pulling his braille typewriter in front of him.

So Dr. Iplier did. He read, and the Host typed, his fingers flying impossibly fast over the keys. Dr. Iplier stumbled over a couple words but even then, the clacking of the typewriter didn’t pause. Over time, Dr. Iplier started to relax, letting his mind melt into the words, into the story of a young women who found herself trapped in an unknown world. Once he had finished the first chapter, the Host turned around in his chair, a smirk on his face.

“I had forgotten how that story went. Thank you doctor.” 

“Who wrote this?” Dr. Iplier asked, running his thumb over the spot where the book’s author should have been credited. The name had been scratched out with ink to the point of being unreadable. 

The Host waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, just some washed up author who nobody cares about anymore.”

“Huh.”

“Anyway, doctor, I have to say that I quite enjoy your company”

“Likewise, Host. It is a pleasure.” Edward responded, replicating the Host’s stiff manner of speaking.

The Host tilted his head to the side.

“The Doctor wouldn’t find it advisable to mock the Host,” he said menacingly. The Doc froze with fear, but then the Host gave him a sly grin.

“Just messing with you.”

“Don’t do that!” The Doc squeaked, almost giving the Host a slap on the arm but thinking better of it. 

“You’re afraid of me.” The Host said wonderingly after a brief but awkward silence, the smile fading a bit off his face.

Dr. Iplier opened his mouth to tell him that  _ all _ the egos were afraid of him, and was going to tell him about that one time Silver had a nightmare about him and had to be coaxed out of his room… but once again he stopped himself. Edward was beginning to think that maybe he had better impulse control that he thought.

“Maybe if you left this creepy library every now and then you’d be more approachable." he decided to say instead.

The Host made a face. 

“Doubtful.”

“C’mon. You should come outside, go on a walk with me, enjoy the sunshine.” Dr. Iplier nagged. The doctor was nothing if not persistent. “Doctor’s orders,” he added when the Host didn’t respond.

“Fine.” Host grumbled. His tone was sour but a small smile remained on his face.

The Host stood, and Dr. Iplier beamed. The doctor followed the Host to the door, betwixt by the endless twists and turns he took simply to get out of the room. Dr. Iplier sped up his pace to reach the door first, pulling and holding it open like the obvious gentlemen he was. The Host was so distracted by the absurdity of the action that he almost ran straight into the person standing on the other side of the door - Dark. 

“Why hello, Host,” Dark said with his eyebrows raised. Dr. Iplier cringed and slipped further behind the door, out of Dark’s view. “I wanted to talk to you about some important matters.”

Dark moved to enter the room, but the Host didn’t budge. 

“The Host requests Dark comes back later, as the Host was just going to leave.”

Dark had an incredulous look on his face, the type a spoiled kid might have when they get denied something for the first time. 

“This is a pressing matter. I must insist.”

Dark didn’t let the anger seep into his voice yet, but his aura pushed forward, inky tendrils caressing the Host’s body, reminding him of his place.

“The Host also insists. Dark will go back to his office and wait, or go talk to another ego.” The Host put power behind his last sentence, his narration pushing against the force of Dark’s aura. The aura resisted, clinging on to its spot in reality as long as it could before finally giving in. Dark turned on his heels and stalked back down the hallway to his office without further incident.

Dr. Iplier poked his head out from the hiding spot he had been trembling behind.

The Host extended an arm backwards. “Come on, Edward” 

Dr. Iplier came towards him, trembling, and the Host clutched onto his arm, as if he was the one being guided and not the other way around. They exited the room this way, heading out the front door into the crisp air. The sun warmed the Host's face, and he tilted his head towards it. 

“It’s a beautiful day outside”

“I’m sure it is”

END

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at ego-to-ego.tumblr.com   
> Comments are much appreciated but of course not required


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